Instrument of Cession Signed July 14, 1904 by the Representatives of the People of the Islands of Manua
To All To Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:—
Whereas, the Islands of the Samoan Group lying east of longitude 171 west of Greenwich were, on the 16th day of February, 1900, by arrangement between the Governments of Germany, Great Britain, and the United States of America, placed under the protection of the Government of the United States of America;
And Whereas, on the 17th day of April, in the year 1900, the Islands of Tutuila and Aunuu, being portion of said Islands of the Samoan Group lying east of longitude 171 west of Greenwich, were, by the chiefs and rulers of Tutuila and Aunuu, ceded to and placed under the sovereignty and protection of the United States of America, and the government of said Islands was thereupon assumed by said United States;
And Whereas, in administering said government, the Islands hereinafter described, known as the Manua Islands, being the remainder of said Islands of the Samoan Group lying east of longitude 171 west of Greenwich, have been under the protection of the United States of America, and controlled and governed in conjunction with the Islands of Tutuila and Aunuu;
And Whereas, at the request of Tuimanua, the King of Manua, and his chiefs, the United States Flag was, on the 5th day of June, 1900, raised on the Island of Tau, of the Manua Group, for the purpose of granting protection to the people of the Manua Islands;
[Page 1014]And Whereas, Tuimanua and his chiefs, being content and satisfied with the justice, fairness, and wisdom of the government as hitherto administered by the several Commandants of the United States Naval Station, Tutuila, and the officials appointed to act with the Commandant, are desirous of placing the Islands of Manua hereinafter described under the full and complete sovereignty of the United States of America to enable said Islands, with Tutuila and Aunuu, to become a part of the territory of said United States;
Now Know Ye (1) That we, Eleasara Tuimanua and the chiefs whose names are hereunder subscribed, in consideration of the premises hereinbefore recited, have ceded, and, by These Presents Do Cede, unto the Government of the United States of America, All Those, The Islands Of The Manua Group, being the whole of eastern portion of the Samoan Islands lying east of longitude 171 west of Greenwich and known as Tau, Olosega, Ofu, and Rose Island, and all other, the waters and property adjacent thereto, together with all sovereign rights thereunto belonging and possessed by us.
To Hold the said ceded territory unto the Government of the United States of America; to erect the same into a territory or district of the said Government.
(2) It is intended and claimed by These Presents that there shall be no discrimination in the suffrages and political privileges between the present residents of said Islands and citizens of the United States dwelling therein, and also that the rights of the Chiefs in each village and of all people concerning their property according to their custom shall be recognized.
Done at the place of Faleula in Tau, in triplicate, in both the Samoan and the English languages, on this 14th day of July, in the year 1904, A. D.
| King of Manua and District Governor | Tuimanua | [seal] |
| County Chief of Fitiuta | Tuffle | [seal] |
| County Chief of Ofu | Misa | [seal] |
| County Chief of Olosega | Tuiolosega | [seal] |
| County Chief of Faleasao | Asoau | [seal] |
| District Clerk. | P. Logoai | [seal] |
United States Naval Station, Tutuila.
District Court of Tutuila, No. 5,
Held at Tau, in Manua
I Hereby Certify that on this 16th day of July, in the year 1904, before me, Edwin W. Gurr, Judge of the District Court of Tutuila, personally appeared Tuimanua, the Governor of Manua, Tufele, County Chief of Fitiuta, Misa, County Chief of Ofu, Tuiolosega, County Chief of Olosega, Asoau, County Chief of Faleasao, and Logoai, District Clerk of Manua, personally known to me to be the [Page 1015] Tuimanua, high chiefs, and representatives of the people of the Islands of Manua, who, each for himself, acknowledged that he executed the attached Instrument of Cession,4 and affixed his seal thereto, freely and voluntarily, for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.
[seal]
District Judge of Tutuila
- Received by the Secretary of the Navy on August 15, 1904; filed in the Department of State on October 31, 1904.↩